The true prophecies or prognostications of Michael Nostradamus, physician to Henry II. Francis II. and Charles IX. Kings of France, and one of the best astronomers that ever were. / A work full of curiosity and learning. Translated and commented by Theophilus de Garencieres, Doctor in Physick Colleg. Lond.

ANNOT.

This is so plain, that it needeth no explication.

XXXVIII.

ANNOT.

The words and sense of this are easie to be understood.

XXXIX.

ANNOT.

It seemeth there should be a Battle between the Italians, Germans, French, Spaniards for a Fort, which I suspect to have been that of Serizoles, wherein all those Nations were engaged, and that one year before that Battle, the publick house of a Common-wealth should fall, and kill abundance of people; But of this I could find nothing in History.

XL.

ANNOT.

This hath a Relation to a foregoing Stanza, and likewise is not hard to be understood.

XLI.

ANNOT.

The meaning of this is, that those three Prodigies, contained in the first three Verses, shall appear when a Pope changeth his Countrey.

XLII.

ANNOT.

These words signifie, that a great man or Tyrant shall be found dead in another mans Bed, having his Legs and Arms broken, the body of which shall be devoured by these three kinds of Creatures, a Cock, a Dog, and a Cat. The last Verse signifieth that this Tyrant had escaped a cruel Death.

XLIII.

ANNOT.

In the year 1556. upon the first day of March appeared a blazing Star which lasted three Months, and in that year the three great Princes were made Enemies, viz. Paul IV. Pope, Henry II. King of France, and Philip II. King of Spain, about the breaking of the Truce by Henry II.

The Affairs not succeeding according to the Pope’s, and the King of France’s desire, they made Peace with the Spaniard the 14th of October 1557. and because it was an effect of Gods Providence, which moved the Pope’s, and the Kings hearts; the Author saith, they were struck from Heaven.

After this Peace the Author mentions an Earth-quake, which is very likely considering the overflowing of the Tyber, which followed immediately.

The night after, that Peace was proclaimed at Rome, on a Tuesday the Tyber did so overflow his Banks, that the inundation was thought the greatest that ever was, yea greater than that which happened in the year 1530. under Clement VII.

There were ten or twelve Mills carried away, all the Vine-yards along the Tyber, from Pontemole to St. Peters Church, were buried under the Sands, that the water carried.

Abundance of Houses fell to the ground. In Rome many Gardens and houses of pleasure were destroyed, the loss of the Wines, Hay, Wood, and Corn could not be valued.

In Florence the River of Arno did more mischief than the Tyber at Rome, the History of the Genealogy of the house of Medicis, made by Peter de Boissat, mentioneth, that in some places of the City of Florence, the water overflowed to the heigth of eight Fathoms, and covered all the valley of Arne.

The damage was yet greater at Empoly, a Town in Tuscany, where, of three thousand people, there escaped but eighteen.

But to return to Tyber, its waters being retired into their Channel, left so much mud, where it had overflowed, that no body could walk upon it, and upon that mud near the Tyber, was a Serpent seen of a prodigious bigness, which was killed by the Countrey people.

This is the Authors meaning in the last Verse, Arne, Tyber, full of Surges, Serpent cast upon the Shore.

In the third Verse he saith, those three Princes were struck or moved from Heaven to make Peace, that is, from God; every one considering that this War was only for their mutual distruction.

The Vulgar impression putteth in the fourth Verse, Pau, Tyber, in stead of Arne, Tyber, which is a visible fault; for the History mentioneth only the inundation of those two Rivers in Italy, it may be that the likeness of those words, Pau and Arne, is the cause of the mistake; as also because the name of Pau, which is the biggest River in Italy, is more famous in History than that of Arne, which is the River that passeth through Florence.

XLIV.

ANNOT.

It is an Eagle driven from the Tents by other Birds, when a mad Lady shall recover her senses by the noise of Cymbals, Trumpets, and Bells.

XLV.

ANNOT.

Androgyn, is one that is Male and Female, from the Greek word ἀνηρ, which signifieth a Male, and γυνή, which signifieth a Female; the meaning then of the first Verse is, that some great persons, suppose a King and Queen, which he calleth Heaven, by reason of their exaltation above the common sort of people, shall bemoan too long one of their Children, that was, or shall be born Male and Female.

The second Verse is easie to be understood, if you take Heaven in the same sense that we have said. The last two Verses are plain.

XLVI.

ANNOT.

Troche in Greek is a Pulley, the meaning therefore of the Author, that after a great mutation, God shall renew the Ages, and according to his promise shall create a new Heaven, and a new Earth.

By those prodigies related in the two last Verses, it seemeth the Author intendeth to speak of the last day, and of the fore-runners of it.

XLVII.

ANNOT.

This hath a relation to the foregoing Stanza, and is as it were the second part of it. For as the foremost speaketh of the last day, so doth this of Dooms-day.

First, he saith that the great and old Enemy grieveth and dieth by Poison, that’s the Devil who shall be cast into a Lake of Fire and Brimstone. The second Verse signifieth, that all the Kings of the Earth shall be subdued by him that is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The third Verse expresseth, the anguish of the reprobate, when they shall cry to the Rocks, hide us, and to the Mountains, fall upon us. And the fourth Verse saith, that Death shall alledge in vain, the Articles she made with the Devil, and his Angels.

XLVIII.

ANNOT.

Paradin relateth in his History, that after the Duke of Alba had relieved Vulpian with Victuals, which was done from the 22. of July to the first of August, a Captain of the Emperors Army named la Trinité, went out of Valfrenieres the same first day of August, to plunder the Countrey of Piemont.

He had 400 Horses, and 500 Foot: The news being brought to the Marshal of Brissac, he sent out a great number of Horses, who did utterly destroy their Foot, so that but thirty escaped, to carry the news to Valfrenieres.

The Spanish Horse, seeing the French in such a fury, ran away, and got some to Ast, some to Alexandria.

After that, the Spaniards seeking to revenge themselves, took a Castle three miles from Cazal, called Frezene, or Fracinet du Pau, where they hanged up the Captain, put to the sword all the Italians, and sent all the French to the Galleys.

This proceeding being not according to the Laws of Arms, we may believe, that the victorious discovered a malitious craft of the vanquished, who had left some Sheeps-heads poisoned, to revenge themselves of the victorious, which obliged the Spaniards to serve so the Captain, the Italians and the French; and because the French were not so ill used, as the Italians, we may judge that the Italians were the chief contrivers of this business.

Therefore the Author foreseeing this, saith, that the great Army of the French, which shall go over the Mountains, shall come to this mischief, because of the poison that was hidden in the Sheeps heads.

The Vulgar impression erreth much in putting Salmons, for Muttons; for every body knoweth that the Salmons do not come into the Mountains of Montserrat, and that in the Month of August it is not a meat fit for Souldiers, therefore in stead of Salmons, we have put Muttons, or Sheep.

The Captain was hanged with a thread of Polemars, that is, with a Match, of which, I am perswaded, that one certain Polemars was the Inventor.

The Author saith in the second Verse, that the time when this accident happened, was, when Saturn was in Aries, the Vulgar impression putteth Are in stead of Aries, but that’s false, therefore set down Aries. Saturn was in that Sign in the year 1555. from the 20th of February, to the 14th of July, where from the 12th degree and four Minutes, he began to retrograde in the same Sign of Aries, till the 18th of November, so that Saturn was almost all that year in Aries.

He saith also that Mars was going back to Pisces; because in that same year, Mars that was gone out of the Sign of Pisces from the 19 of March 1554. was retrograding to come back again into it upon the 20th of January 1556.

Thus the Author meaneth, that this accident should happen in the year that Saturn should be in Aries, and Mars should be near the Sign of Pisces.

And to say truth, in the Month of August, Mars was in the Sign of Scorpio; upon the 23 of September, he entred into that of Sagitarius; the third of November, into that of Capricornus; the 12th of December into that of Aquarius; and the year following, viz. 1556. into that of Pisces; so that Mars was returning into Pisces, which is the end of its particular motion.

By this Astrological and Historical discourse we correct the Vulgar impression, which putteth turning from Pisces, Mars, in stead of which, we put, turning to Pisces, Mars, which we do by changing only from, into to, and sheweth us how careful we ought to be in the explication of these Stanza’s, when the time is prefixed to us by Astronomical calculations.

The Authors Phrase doth confirm us in this correction, when he useth this word turning, which signifieth the motion that tendeth towards its end, and not the motion that cometh from its end.

XLIX.

ANNOT.

All the difficulty of this lieth in the signification of the word Pole, which in Greek signifieth a City. The word Monopoly is Vulgar, and signifieth when one or few would engross all the Trade of a Town. The rest is so obscure, that I had rather leave it to the liberty of the Reader, than break my Brains about it, considering chiefly that I am going to bed, the precedent Stanza having exhausted all my Spirits, and so farewell till to morrow.

L.

ANNOT.

Hainault is a Province of the Low-Countries, and Gand the chief Town in Flanders, and Bruxelles the chief Town of the Dukedome of Brabant.

Langres is a City in France, in the Province of Champagne, which is called the Maiden Town; because it was never besieged. The rest is easie.

LI.

ANNOT.

Leaving unto the impartial Reader his liberty to judge of this Prophecy, we for our part understand by it the impious and execrable murder, committed upon the person of our last most gracious Sovereign King Charles I. of blessed memory, to whose expiation it seemeth our Author attributeth the conflagration of London. By that proportion of three and twenty, the Six, is to be understood the number of Houses and Buildings that were burnt, which is about the proportion of three in four, and cometh near to the computation, as also by that three twenties and Six, may be understood the year 66. By the antient Dame that shall fall from the high place, is understood the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, which in the time of Paganism was dedicated to Diana, meant here by the title of an antient Dame, the fall from her high place, hath relation both to the sumptuousness and height of her building, as also to her situation, which is in the most eminent place of the City.

By this Verse, Of the same Sect many shall be killed, is signified the great number of other Churches even the number of 87 (which he intimateth here by the name of the same Sect), that should be involved in the same woful conflagration.

LII.

ANNOT.

Corinth is a City of Grecia and Ephesus one of Asia; the rest is plain.

LIII.

ANNOT.

This is a confirmation of the LI. Stanza and foretelleth the great Plague we have had here in the year 1665. which he saith shall not cease till the death of the Just blood, meaning King Charles the I. be avenged who was as is here expressed, condemned without crime, and sold for a Price.

By the great Dame unfainedly abused, he meaneth the sumptuous Cathedral of St. Paul, which was polluted and made a Stable by those prophane wretches.

LIV.

ANNOT.

In the explication of this mystical Stanza, I believe every body may be as wise as I.

LV.

ANNOT.

This is concerning some eminent person, who having shewed no great valour in a Battle, shall nevertheless in a Banquet be so bold as to stab a person of quality, that was proud.

This accident must happen somewhere about Venice, because he saith that Adria, which is taken for Venice shall look on.

LVI.

ANNOT.

There is two accidents contained in this Stanza, the first is in the two first Verses, where he saith that some considerable person, who had escaped the Sword, and the Plague shall be strucken by the Thunder, and die in a great showr of Rain.

The second is, in the two last Verses, where he saith, an Abbot shall perish by Shipwrack, thinking to save himself by holding the Rock.

LVII.

ANNOT.

The words are plain enough, but of the sense every one may think what he pleaseth.

LVIII.

ANNOT.

The sense of the whole is this, that an Infant begot by some person of quality shall be exposed in the night time, the Moon Shining, which he calleth Seline, from the Greek word σεληνη, which signifieth the Moon.

LIX.

ANNOT.

Here be two things designed in this Stanza one is concerning Provence, which shall be eaten up by Soldiers, and the other concerning the City of Narbon, which shall be Besieged, or the Citizens fall out among themselves.

LX.

ANNOT.

The Punick Faith in Latine Punica fides, a false Faith, was so called from the Carthaginians, called in Latine Pæni, which was an unfaithful Nation.

I do not know what he meaneth by great Jud. as for Rhosne, Loire and Tag, they are three Rivers, the two first in France, the last is the River of Lisbone called in Latine Tagus. The rest is easie.

LXI.

ANNOT.

Agen and Tonneins are two Towns in Gascony, Gironde is a River that passeth in that Countrey, the sense therefore of the whole is, that there shall be great Wars, and fightings in those Towns, as also upon that River, which happened in the time of the civil Wars in France, as every body may read in the Annals, and also in the Commentaries of the Lord of Monluck.

LXII.

ANNOT.

Here is nothing hard but who should be this Mabus, at last I found by transposition of Letters that he meaneth Ambus, which was the name of the Heades man that beheaded the Duke of Montmorency at Thoulouse, how miraculous therefore appeareth our Author, who did not only foretell general things, but also particular accidents, even the names of the persons that were to be born a hundred years after.

LXIII.

ANNOT.

Ausonne is always taken by the Author for the City of Bordeaux, because Ausonius a famous Latine Poet was born there, the rest is so obscure, and the text so corrupted, that I had rather leave it to the liberty of the Reader, then to become ridiculous, by not acknowledging my ignorance.

LXIV.

ANNOT.

Here you must observe that Gebenna in Latine signifieth Geneva, and therefore this whole Stanza is concerning the City of Geneva.

LXV.

ANNOT.

Though the words be plain, nevertheless the sense is very obscure, and chiefly as I suppose by the faults of the impression, all what I can tell you here, is, that Hesperia in Latine, is Spain, and Insubria, is Savoy.

LXVI.

ANNOT.

All this is plain, both in the words and the Sense.

LXVII.